Central European Woolly Mammoth Population Dynamics: Insights from Late Pleistocene Mitochondrial Genomes

The population dynamics of the Pleistocene woolly mammoth (Mammuthus primigenius) has been the subject of intensive palaeogenetic research. Although a large number of mitochondrial genomes across Eurasia has been used to inform broad population evolution and movement, the available data remains geographically sparse. Thus, population dynamics in specific regions have not yet been addressed. Here, we use a multi-method approach utilising proteomic, stable isotope and genetic techniques to generate 20 mitochondrial genomes and associated dietary stable isotopic data from fragmentary Late Pleistocene megafauna remains from central Europe. We begin to address region-specific questions regarding the palaeoecology of central European woolly mammoth populations, such as site-specific population loss and unusual regional skeletal abnormalities, in the context of maternal lineage replacement during the lead up to the Last Glacial Maximum. A high number of shared derived mutations between woolly mammoth mitochondrial clades are identified, questioning previous phylogenetic analysis. We discuss the need to understand region or site-specific causes of lineage turnover of late Pleistocene species, rather than relying on continent-wide models.